Danny Riley delivers the goods on Walk The Line
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
Danny Riley rides the line between honky-tonk soul and get-on-your-feet modern feel good country with his new single, Walk The Line. Electric guitar lays out the two step shuffle while a harmonica wails in the intro as a kick drum pounds out the time. This mid tempo energetic dance record captures a mix of barroom fun and heartfelt honesty as this Alabama singer talks about his ideal lifestyle, “I like a slow beer sippin, river bank fishing, a never ending red dirt road, I like a no speed limit, don’t worry ‘bout no ticket, where every day’s a rodeo.”
As the band cooks on the chorus, Riley delivers a convincing solid vocal with, “Baby my knees go week, cause you’re the kind of girl that a cowboy needs, I’m fallin’ for you even if it’s too soon, picture me and you under the neon moon.” Coming in at 2:08, the song is over before you know it and you’re ready to tell the DJ to play it one more time. Walk The Line is about owning up, showing up and willing to straighten up. Danny had this comment regarding the writing of the song, “I was listening to a Jon Pardi playlist and decided I wanted to give my fans something to dance to instead of another heartbreak song. I started with the guitar rhythm my engineer laid down, then built everything else in my head right there in the studio and the lyrics just flowed.”
Adding to the traditional, yet genuine production of Walk The Line, is Aaron Currie on guitar, Evan Hutchings playing the drums, Tim Denbo on bass, Hector Ruano plays harmonica and Dean Krause performs background vocals. Riley and Krause are the songwriters as well as co-producers while Darren Rust was the mastering engineer. Collectively the players embrace a simple arrangement and provide a great rack for Danny to lay his distinct vocal over.
Riley’s songs offer a variety of genres touching on country soul, bluegrass, red dirt and even hip-hop influences. He shares his love of connecting with people through his songwriting by employing timeless values and honesty to weave his stories. From his hometown of Enterprise, Alabama, Danny now makes his home in Nashville where he continues to focus on his music career slowly building his own brand as an artist.